Momo Kodama

Piano

Praised for her “impeccable technique and facility for crystalline sounds” (American Record Guide), “her natural ease and keen sense for drama” (BBC Music Magazine), “deliciously pearly touch” (Classical-Music) and “crisp, pointed and sensuous playing” (San Francisco Chronicle) Momo Kodama has built up an impressive career with performances with world-renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, NHK Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, Eliahu Inbal, Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano, Roger Norrington, Lawrence Foster and André Previn. She has appeared at the Vienna Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin Konzerthaus, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam and the Wigmore Hall in London.

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Praised for her “impeccable technique and facility for crystalline sounds” (American Record Guide), “her natural ease and keen sense for drama” (BBC Music Magazine), “deliciously pearly touch” (Classical-Music) and “crisp, pointed and sensuous playing” (San Francisco Chronicle) Momo Kodama has built up an impressive career with performances with world-renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, NHK Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, Eliahu Inbal, Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano, Roger Norrington, Lawrence Foster and André Previn. She has appeared at the Vienna Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin Konzerthaus, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall in London and the Salle Bourgie in Montréal.

She is a regular guests at festivals including Marlboro, Verbier, La Roque d’Anthéron, Festival Chopin, Festival d’Automne, Festival Saint-Denis, Enesco Festival, Tivoli Festival, Settembre Musica, Schleswig-Holstein, Miyazaki and Matsumoto (Seiji Ozawa).  

Momo Kodama enjoys making chamber music with partners including Christian Tetzlaff, Renaud Capuçon, Augustin Dumay, Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis and Jörg Widmann.  She also devised and performed a programme for the 100th anniversary of Debussy’s death, with actor Pascal Rénéric and bariton Josep-Ramon Olivé at La Bellevilloise in Paris with further repeats in France and China.

Recent highlights include a return visit to the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and Kazuki Yamada to perform the seldomly played Fantasies of Debussy and Fauré, and, together with her sister Mari Kodama, her debut with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Kent Nagano, as well as with the Philharmonisches Orchester Bremerhaven and Marc Niemann. In Japan she plays the Turangalila Symphony with the Gumma Symphony and both concertos of Ravel in one evening with the Aichi Chamber Orchestra. She also returned to the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam with Mari Kodama and gave solo recitals in various cities in Europe and Japan, including a Messiaen Project 2022 in Tokyo to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death, for which she received the “Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize” in the music category by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Science in Japan.  

Her repertoire ranges from the classical and romantic periods to contemporary works. Composers such as Toshio Hosokawa, Jörg Widmann and Christian Mason have written especially for her. Momo Kodama is regarded as a highly distinguished interpreter of Olivier Messiaen’s oeuvre (among which the Turangalîla-Symphonie, the Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, the Catalogue d’Oiseaux), and premiered his Fantaisie for Violin and Piano with Isabelle Faust in 2006.  

Her latest recording for ECM, released in spring 2021, features concertos by Mozart and Toshio Hosokawa, with the Mito Chamber Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Prior to this, her CD  “La vallée des cloches” and “Point and Line – Hosokawa/Debussy Etudes” also released by ECM, received outstanding reviews from the New York Times, BBC Music Magazine (recording of the month), Classica (“Choc”), Neue Zürcher Zeitung, In addition, Momo Kodama has recorded two CD’s for Pentatone together with her pianist sister Mari with works by Tchaikovsky and Martinů, as well as four CD’s for Triton with works by Chopin, Debussy and Messiaen.

On 1 October 2022 Momo Kodama was appointed professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe.

Born in Osaka in Japan, Momo Kodama spent her early years in Europe: educated at a German school, she attended the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris. She continued her  studies under Murray Perahia, András Schiff, Vera Gornostaeva and Tatiana Nikolayeva. In 1991, she became the youngest laureate of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Momo Kodama is based in Paris. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, especially for and with friends and family.

Representation

BeNeLux: Nymus Artists

 

Links & downloads

https://www.momokodama.com

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Reviews

“Ainsi la pianiste franco-japonaise Momo Kodama donne-t-elle en création mondiale Intermezzi d’Éric Montalbetti, une commande de l’association Ars Mobilis passée au compositeur français (…)…” →“Ainsi la pianiste franco-japonaise Momo Kodama donne-t-elle en création mondiale Intermezzi d’Éric Montalbetti, une commande de l’association Ars Mobilis passée au compositeur français (…) La partie est virtuose et superbement conduite, qui exige une grande fluidité de jeu de la part de la pianiste. Momo Kodama en assume tous les détours avec maîtrise et élégance, des basses profondes qu’elle sonde avec puissance aux gerbes d’arpèges qu’elle égrène avec légèreté jusqu’au seuil aigu du piano.(…) Retour aux images avec les Tableaux d’une exposition du Russe Modeste Moussorgski qui referment le récital de la pianiste. (…) Dix pièces pittoresques se succèdent, reliées par le « thème de la promenade ». L’instrument y est sollicité dans tous ses registres et ses configurations, piano de la modernité également où Moussorgsky écrit véritablement le timbre. Les couleurs jaillissent sous les doigts de la pianiste (Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle, Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques, Catacombes) jusqu’à La porte de Kiev, page magistrale qui ne manque pas d’impressionner dans l’interprétation de Momo Kodama où s’investit toute la puissance de son jeu. Elle offre à son public un premier bis, Oiseaux tristes de Maurice Ravel, joué avec une rare délicatesse et referme cette soirée comme elle l’avait commencée avec Debussy et sa Fille aux cheveux de lin.” ←
– Resmusica, 18/09/2024
“L’unique création mondiale de l’édition 2024 était confiée à l’enchanteresse Momo Kodama. Six Intermezzi conçus par Eric Montalbetti (né en…” →“L’unique création mondiale de l’édition 2024 était confiée à l’enchanteresse Momo Kodama. Six Intermezzi conçus par Eric Montalbetti (né en 1968) comme une succession d’envols. Elégance du geste, expression évanescente, harmonie de gourmet, tout concourait à apprécier cette musique à l’aune de la tradition française, de Claude Debussy à Pierre Boulez. (…) Récital achevé par de somptueux Tableaux d’une exposition, de Modeste Moussorgski.” ←
– Le Monde, 16/09/2024
“In terms of playing style, what we hear is lean and alert, the players always perfectly matched, three performing as…” →“In terms of playing style, what we hear is lean and alert, the players always perfectly matched, three performing as one, with tight ensemble and pristine fingerwork. Note the warmth and composure of the Triple Concerto’s Adagio, whereas the closing Tempo di minuetto conveys a collegiate sense of joy. The popular Concerto in E flat for two pianos, K365, a true masterpiece, has plenty of spirit both from the two pianists (Momo and Mari Kodama) and Nagano’s orchestra. Note, for example, the assertive horns in the opening tutti. Pentatone’s superb recording usefully delineates between the two pianos without the imposition of exaggerated spatiality, and if you want evidence of how eloquent the Kodamas are in duet, head straight for the Andante, All in all, this album is an object lesson in how families should love and learn, and why we so need music in our lives.” ←
– Gramophone, 01/09/2024
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“Kodama is a subtle and poetic soloist in both works, in control of a particularly beautiful range of quiet sonorities…” →“Kodama is a subtle and poetic soloist in both works, in control of a particularly beautiful range of quiet sonorities in the Hosokawa and matching that, in the Mozart, with ‘pouring-oil’ passagework and deliciously pearly touch. Seiji Ozawa conducts his Mito Chamber Orchestra, performing with equal attention to detail, translucent textures and a deep sense of affection for the music.” ←
– BBC Music Magazine , 01/05/2021
“D’une voluptueuse austérité, colorée et éniqmatique, la cadence de la soliste impose progressivement une puissance contenue. Cet hypnotique ‘Lotus Under…” →“D’une voluptueuse austérité, colorée et éniqmatique, la cadence de la soliste impose progressivement une puissance contenue. Cet hypnotique ‘Lotus Under the Moonlight’, d’une étonnnante finesse de touche, exerce une intense séduction. Quand arrive la citation du mouvement lent du ‘Concerto no. 23’ de Mozart, sur des traînées de cordes, tells des queues de comète, Seiji Ozawa montre quell sorcier de l’orchestre tre il peut être, avant de laisser la fin s’évanouir dans le cosmos.” ←
– Diapason,
“The biggest challenge here is the Concerto for Two Pianos… the Kodama sisters’ approach with Lawrence Foster and the very…” →“The biggest challenge here is the Concerto for Two Pianos… the Kodama sisters’ approach with Lawrence Foster and the very fine Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra (who knew?) is less mellow, more hard-hitting [than Bělohlávek’s 2009 Proms performance]… but also alive to the dizzying outer movements… The disc as a whole is another unmissable addition to the Martinů discography.” ←
– BBC Music Magazine, 01/07/2018
“Forget other recordings of Debussy’s Etudes. Not that this is better than Gieseking, Pollini, Uchida, Bavouzet and the rest –…” →“Forget other recordings of Debussy’s Etudes. Not that this is better than Gieseking, Pollini, Uchida, Bavouzet and the rest – it’s merely that such comparisons are redundant… Kodama brings a wonderful capacity for stillness to Hosokawa’s often ascetic language… but this is an inventive exploration of both composers.” ←
– BBC Music Magazine, 01/06/2017
“[Messiaen’s] distinctively pungent harmonies and ecstatic resolutions are all here, but in a span which takes us through a rich…” →“[Messiaen’s] distinctively pungent harmonies and ecstatic resolutions are all here, but in a span which takes us through a rich range of places and times of day, from nocturnal mystery to the energy of choruses of birds, each given distinct character and brought to life with startling virtuosity by Momo Kodama… By the end you are gasping in wonder, and the half-hour has passed as if by magic.” ←
– MusicWeb International, 08/01/2014
“(…) Momo Kodama offrait un récital conçu avec intelligence… Des correspondances se dévoilent entre les différents compositeurs, les univers se poétisent…” →“(…) Momo Kodama offrait un récital conçu avec intelligence… Des correspondances se dévoilent entre les différents compositeurs, les univers se poétisent fondent de nouveaux rapports entre les êtres et leur perception du monde, on est emporté dans un voyage où les notes liquides de Debussy, aériennes, conversent avec les silences et les emportements d’Hosakawa, donnent des clés de lecture pour les autres compositeurs, façonnent une écoute renouvelée.  La pianiste sert les œuvres avec une clarté, une élégance virtuoses, éclaire les propos sans chercher d’effet (…) Un bijou de finesse ! Festival de La Roque d’Anthéron” ←
– Maryvonne Colombani, 06/08/2017